Mine car axle mounting



Dec. 13, 1938.. C. E. WATTS 2,149,038

MINE CAR AXLE MOUNTING Filed May 17, 1937 'r-w I INVENTOR ClarenceEWafiS *T ir Patented Dec. 13, 1938 UNITED STATES QFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to a mounting for a mine car axle, and more particularly to a mine car axle mounting provided with resilient cushioning means which cushions both vertical 5 and horizontal shock on the axle.

Mine cars carry heavy loads and are subjected to very rough usage in filling, transporting and dumping. The track rails on which the mine cars run are oftentimes somewhat out of vertical in alinement at the joints, which results in imparting vertical shock to the axles of the mine car. Furthermore, the mine car axles are subjected to very serious shocks in a horizontal plane, particularly during the caging of the cars. The is mine cars are brought out in a train from the face or workings of the mine to the mine shaft, where they are then caged and elevated through the shaft. Each car may contain several tons of material and the train may consist of twenty or thirty cars. The train of cars is on an in- .clined surface preparatory to caging them. When it is desired to cage a car, the horns or stops which engage the wheels of the front car are released and the car is allowed to move into the cage in the mine shaft. The movement of the car when it reaches the cage is stopped by other horns or stops which contact with the wheels of the car and transmit shock to the axle and car body. 39 After the first car has been released from the train in order to cage it, the whole train of cars except the first moves the length of a car, whereupon the train of cars is again stopped by horns contacting with thewheels of the first car of the train. Due to the many cars in the train, the shock imparted to the wheels and axles of the first car in the train is very great. These shocks are principally exerted in a horizontal direction. The severity of these shocks can be determined by examining a mine car after it has been in use and it is generally found that the bolts or rivets in the frame of the car near the car trucks are the first to loosen.

It has been attempted previously to cushion the vertical shocks imparted to the axle by inserting a spring between the top of the axle housing and the frame of the car. This arrangement, however, has several disadvantages. Springs can only be used where the total heightof the mine car is relatively unrestricted, that is, where the passages in the mine are high enough to take care of the increased height of the car due to the spring mounting of the axles. In many mines the total height of the mine car above the rails must be limited to less than 34 inches and may be as little as 24 inches. In such cases the axles cannot be spring-mounted and still stay within the limits of height available for the car.

An even more important objection to the use of spring mountings for axles as previously em- 5 ployed is that they act only to cushion vertical shocks on the axle, but not horizontal shocks. As previously pointed out, a large and important part of the shocks imparted to an axle are directed in a horizontal plane, and unless such 10 shocks are cushioned, there is serious danger of injury to the car trucks or bodies.

In accordance with the present invention, the axle and axle housing are mounted so as to be movable both vertically and horizontally relative 16 to the car frame or to a housing or guide structure secured to the car. Resilent cushioning means is interposed between the axle housing and the frame or guide, the resilient cushioning means being arranged so as to cushion both ver- 20 tical and horizontal shocks.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred embodiment of my invention,

Figure 1 is a horizontal plan view of a portion of the bottom and one side of a steel bottom mine 9': car in which the axles are carried in U-shaped housings or cross members, and showing the cushioning device of the present invention applied thereto;

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken 30 on the line V--V of Figure 1; and

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line VIVI of Figure 2.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing, the floor of the car is made 35 of steel. In order to reduce the total height of the car, the wheel axles and a portion of the wheels extend above the floor level of the car. In Figure 1, reference numeral 30 designates longitudinal members forming a part of the 40 frame which lies underneath the floor 3| of the car and supports it. Each of the wheels 32 is enclosed in a housing 33 which extends upwardly from the floor 3!, as indicated in Figure 2. An axle housing 34 which is of inverted 45 U-shape extends transversely of the car between the longitudinal members 30. The legs 35 of the u-shaped housing are provided at their lower edges with out-turned flanges 36 which extend beneath the fioor 8| and are secured to the floor 5 by rivets 31. The ends 38 of the housing 34 are supported by bulb angle-irons 39, as indicated in Figure 3, the angle irons being welded to the housing 33.

The wheel axle 4i fits within a steel sleeve 42 provided at its ends with annular flanges 43. A rubber tube 44 or tube of other resilient cushioning material flts around the sleeve 42 and is held in place by the flanges 43. The flanges are of less height than the thickness of the rubber tube 44 so as to prevent contact of the flanges with the housing 34. Longitudinal movement of the sleeve 42 and the cushioning device 44 along the axle is prevented by a thrust collar 45 secured to the housing 34 and extending below the flange 43. The axle, sleeve and cushioning member are free to move vertically and horizontally within the housing 34 which acts as a guide for retaining the axle therein. Vertical and horizontal shocks imparted to the axle are cushioned by the cylindrical cushioning material 44 extending between the sleeve and the housing. It will be noted from Figure 3 that the opening in thebulb angle 39, through which the axle 4| extends, is somewhat larger than the axle, so as to allow this movement of the axle relative to the housing 34. From the construction shown, it necessarily follows that the cushioning ring 44 is free to rotate relative to the axle housing 34. The axle is free to move upwardly, downwardly and horizontally for a limited extent relative to the axle housing. Thus in operation of the mine car, due to the unevenness of the track, one wheel is oftentimes lifted slightly from the rail. Due to the construction which applicant employs, the axle is free to drop down slightly, so that the cushioning member 44 drops away from the axle housing, and the axle will continue to rotate slightly. Then,

, when the cushioning member is again brought into contact with the axle housing, it will present a diflerent portion of its surface to the axle housing. This distributes the wear over the cushioning member and prolongs its life.

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention for purposes of illustration, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise embodied or practiced within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A mine car axle mounting comprising a substantially cylindrical sleeve for receiving the axle. an inverted U-shaped axle housing secured to the car and extending above the floor of the car, said sleeve being located within said axle housing above the floor of the car and movable vertically and horizontally relative thereto, resilient cushioning means between said sleeve and housing for cushioning both vertical and horizontal shock, said resilient cushioning means being rotatable relative to said axle housing so as to distribute wear on said cushioning means and flanges on said sleeve for retaining said resilient cushioning means.

2. A mine car axle mounting, comprising a substantially cylindrical sleeve for receiving the axle, an inverted U-shaped axle housing secured adjacent its bottom to the car and extending above the floor of the car, said sleeve being located within said axle housing above the floor of the car I and movable vertically and horizontally relative thereto, and resilient cushioning means between said sleeve and housing for cushioning both vertical and horizontal shock, said resilient cushioning means being rotatable relative to said axle housing so as to distribute wear on said cushioning means.

3. A mine car axle mounting comprising a substantially cylindrical sleeve for receiving the axle, an inverted U-shaped axle housing secured adjacent its bottom to the floor of the car, the housing extending above the floor of the car, said sleeve being located within said axle housing above the floor of the car and movable vertically and horizontally relative thereto, and resilient cushioning means between said sleeve and housing for cushioning both vertical and horizontal shock, said resilient cushioning means being rotatable relative to said axle housing so as to distribute'wear on said cushioning means.

CLARENCE E. WATTS. 

